Almond Nougat Ice Cream

The other day I decided we needed a fun outing. I think we kind of have cabin fever, since it’s so hot and humid lately, and we don’t want to go outside into that weather. So, off we went on a day to the park and a little bit of roaming around the city despite the weather!

We did a little shopping, a little lunching, a little of this, and some of that. In our shopping quest, my wonderful husband bought a new ice cream container for me. It’s really quite cool (you can see it in the picture). Of course, he said I needed to make him some ice cream to go in the new container! And, with it being so hot I was all for it!

This is the cool new ice cream container he got for me! Easy to scoop the ice cream out, freezer safe, dish-washer safe, and fits on a small shelf! My husband really knows what I want! 😉

At first, I was thinking pumpkin ice cream, fall like, but still cold and refreshing. But, maybe people are getting tired of all the pumpkin stuff. I don’t know. Maybe I’m getting a little tired of it. Or, maybe I just wanted something different. I mean, you can find a pumpkin ice cream recipe pretty easily.

So, I decided to flip through one of my favorite cookbooks, The Ultimate Ice Cream Book. And, this Nougat Ice Cream recipe just jumped out at me!

I really like the technique in this recipe too. Basically, you have a flavored whipped cream that you freeze. It makes a light sweet ice cream. I found the ice cream to be slightly sweet, but I think most people will like it that way (keep in mind I recently gave up sugar in my coffee, and now drink it black, so dark strong and not sweet is what I’m used to). But, I think the almonds really help off-set some of the sweetness. And, I topped the Almond Nougat Ice Cream with homemade chocolate sauce and it was perfect! Or you could mix in chunks of bittersweet chocolate right into the ice cream.

For the Chocolate Shell, I simply used the recipe from my Homemade Drumsticks, and I cut the amount in half. Drizzle it on the ice cream while the sauce is still warm, and it hardens up nicely!

Did you know that there are more than 300 varieties of honey in the United States? The color and taste of the honey comes from the flowers that the bees visit. Honey ranges from pale and mildly flavored (like clover and orange-blossom) to deep amber brown and rich tasting (like buckwheat and avocado). In general, the darker the hue, the bolder the flavor of the honey. I recommend using a mild honey for this Almond Nougat Ice Cream, like clover or orange blossom. A bold strong flavored honey would throw off the balance in this recipe.

A little dish of this Almond Nougat Ice Cream with chocolate sauce after a hot day, oh what a lovely way to spend the evening!

Almond Nougat Ice Cream

Ingredients

Instructions

Combine the honey, sugar, and water in a small saucepan, and set aside.

Beat the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, until soft peaks form.

Heat the honey mixture over low heat, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat, bring the syrup to a boil, and boil for two minutes without stirring. Remove from heat.

Slowly pour the hot honey syrup into the beaten egg whites, pouring in a slow steady stream. Continue beating until the meringue has cooled, about 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl, beat the cream with the almond extract until it’s thick and reaches the consistency of sour cream. Fold the whipped cream and almonds into the meringue. Pour it into a freezer-proof container, cover, and freeze overnight or until firm.

Debi, I’m pretty sure you made this recipe for me! I love nugat and almonds, but never thought to incorporate them in another favorite, ice cream. Great opportunity for me to spend some time in the kitchen and make me some of this deliciousness. Thanks.

You had me at “almond” Debi! You know I love almonds and almond flavored-recipes! I really appreciate the simplicity of this recipe, and the fact that ANYONE can make it, since no ice cream maker is required. Psssst … I was interested to read, too, that you’ve started drinking your coffee straight-up, deep, dark, black with no sweeteners … welcome to the club, girl! Terrific post! 😀 ~Shelley

Yum Debi! We love making our own ice cream, but I love this no-churn idea. I especially love cooking with honey. We buy it local, and it is mild so it would be perfect for this. We put honey in and on pretty much everything these days. Great recipe!

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Hello! I'm Debi, the girl behind Life Currents where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes. My husband eats meat, so occasionally I share some of his dishes as well. And, I'll share tasty treats and projects that we do. Read More…